US Secretary of State John Kerry in India: MEA reschedules his visit to Delhi shrines

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, who arrived in India on Monday to participate in the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, had initially planned to start off with visits to the Sisganj Gurudwara, Jama Masjid and a Hindu temple on Tuesday morning, reported The Telegraph. However, the Ministry of External Affairs rescheduled his visit to the three shrines to Wednesday, reported The Asian Age.

US Secretary of State John Kerry with US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma upon his arrival at New Delhi airport on Monday. PTI

Kerry arrived in India on Monday after his day-long first visit to Bangladesh where he held talks with the top Bangladeshi leadership on key issues like security and terrorism amid a series of brutal attacks on minorities in the Muslim-majority nation.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Kerry will lead their respective sides at the 2nd India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue in New Delhi later on Tuesday to review the progress on decisions taken last time and identify new areas of cooperation.

Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her US counterpart Penny Pritzker will be the co-chairs. The duo will also preside over the India-US CEO Forum, that has Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry and Honeywell Chairman Dave Cote as the co-chairs.

Calling the dialogue the most comprehensive mechanism for engagement between the two countries, India's External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said the co-chairs will be also have an interaction with a high-level, inter-agency delegation from both sides.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama had decided in 2015 to elevate the then India-US engagement into a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, reflecting the significance of the trade and economic ties between the two sides.